Thoughts on culture and events by author and illustrator Christopher R Taylor

Thursday, May 11, 2006

IMPEACH BUSH?

The President's lack of immigration control, apparent unwillingness to veto the slightest spending bill, and stunts such as having Ted Kennedy work on a huge education bill have not endeared him to conservatives, but as long as the War on Terror was hot and the Democratic party continued to be at best loopy and at worst anti-American, we were willing to support the man. The elections in 2002 and 2004 were less a mandate for the Republican party than they were against the Democrats who have seem sometimes to be going out of their way to be unelectable.

As the War on Terror slides off the newspapers and few real actions in the fight seem to be occurring, as weariness with the rebuilding of Iraq and incessant negativity in the press continues, and as huge immigration rallies of people demanding the law be ignored and even flying foreign flags and calling for Americans to leave parts of the nation to Mexico, conservatives have become increasingly upset. The frustration and annoyance is reaching a crescendo at President Bush and men like former GOP majority leader Trent Lott who said:

I'll just say this about the so-called porkbusters. I'm getting damn tired of hearing from them. They have been nothing but trouble ever since Katrina.

The right wing of politics in America have a name for this kind of Republican, often calling them "RINOs" as in Republican In Name Only. Others considered RINOs in congress include Senators Lincoln Chafee (Rhode Island), Olympia Snowe (Maine), Alen Specter (Pennsylvania), and Representative Christopher Shays (Connecticut). Most of the people in this category are Senators, as the House of Representatives since the Contract With America days in 1984 has been more conservative.

The anger at these congressmen has pushed congressional approval ratings below 25% in some polls, partly fueled by corruption such as the bipartisan Abramoff finance scandal and the seemingly shameless, endless pork spending. The recent anger has slowed congress from passing it's most recent appropriations bill, and has it hung up in committee between the two legislative houses, with the House refusing to sign any bill that spends as much as the pork-packed monstrosity the Senate offered up.

Much as I would like to see Bush impeached, failure to do something is not a “high crime or misdemeanor”. Doing a bad job is also not a “high crime of misdemeanor” (or Treason or…). In fact, the Constitution allows for ways to deal with bad Presidents — they’re called “elections” (not to mention the two-term limit amendment).

Also, I’m not sure what clause of the Constitution Bush has supposedly violated with immigration. “We the People” isn’t even a complete sentence. And if you put it into its full context, it merely is a statement that “We the People… established this Constitution”, which has no bearing on Bush’s immigration policy.

Also, I don’t think you can seriously call the immigration problem a “foreign invasion”. “Invasion” implies that the Mexican government is sending in armies, literally.

But I like the way you’re thinking. I’ve always thought that this country would benefit from a mechanism where we have a “no confidence” referendum, like they have in California (where the Gov. Davis was removed and later replaced with Ahnold). As you point out, “we the people” can amend the Constitution to include this, if we want. Why don’t we?-by Kman

It is important that Bush be impeached. Clinton sold secret missile technology to China which ultimately ended up in Iran. He wasn’t impeached for that fiasco, but it was a sell out.

If ignoring immigration laws, and conspiring with a foreign government against his own citizens is not treason, then treason does not exist.

He has broken the “constitutional” compact as put forth in the preamble of the Constitution. Specifically, he is ignoring our borders and surrendering the sovereign rights of the states to foreign invasion thus endangering a “more perfect union”, US citizens and “domestic tranquility”.

We cannot have presidents subverting the best interests of the American people regardless of political leaning.-by Ripama

I voted for GWB twice, am a conservative of the libertarian variety, and I am very PO’d at the lack of border security.

GWB had a choice on what agenda items he would pursue and he decided to push amnesty without security. He could have let it slide, but he and other repub leaders made this choice. They must now be punished for it. Failing in national security due to intentional neglect does rise to an impeachable offense.

This is not about being pro or anti Hispanic, it is about security and economics. I am all for plenty of controlled and managed legal immigration.

However, the repub (only part republican) leadership is failing to secure the border, jeopardizing our safety, and are going to sink Social Security and welfare by giving citizenship to 15-20 MM dirt poor illegals. This will be the biggest pork barrel project ever.

Repub leaders and Bush are idiots and I now hate them. I used to tolerate them as the lesser of 2 evils, but now I HATE them. Dems are who they are, socialists. Repubs are now the worse evil by pretending they are something they most certainly are not, conservative.

We need to bring down the repubs this year. They need a time out or some time in the woodshed for their bad behavior and should stay there until they are again full republicans. We could use some government paralysis with real conservatives being the bomb throwers again. They can’t do this with repubs in charge.

I'm getting a little sick and tired about reading about the RINOs here on the east coast who keep scuttling things and throwing monkey wrenches into the progress toward holding Republican feet to the fire.

Isn't there some way we New Englanders can send a message to our RINOs in Congress that we are gunning for them?

Isn't there a somewhat vulnerable RINO that we can target and get rid of?

Don't any of my fellow FReepers know of a good candidate out there that could be run against one of these idiots?

Can't we form RINO-PAC and scare some of these people straight, a la Club for Growth?

Anyone?-by ModernDayCato

I agree with what your saying about how most New Englanders are idelogical soulmates with their RINO Congressmen and vote accordingly, but there's still two exceptions where RINOs are mavericks and need to be taken out. One is when the RINO is so far left that he votes more liberal than a lot of DEMOCRATS in the region (this is true of Linc Chaffee... he is a "Republican" considerably to the left of the moderate, pro-life Dems who win most of the offices in that state). Second, when a RINO is representing a "safe" conservative Republican area. An example is Judy Biggert "representing" people in Illinois 13th District. She reprsents DuPage County, an ultra-safe GOP district that is the Illinois eqiuvilent of Orange county, yet she votes with the RATS half the time. She needs to be taken out.

Here is a sample of some Republicans in "safe" GOP areas who join the "Main Street Coalition" and crossover to vote with the RATS 1/3rd of the time or more. There is NO execuse why we can't have reliable Republicans in those seats:

I have voted for Bush in every election, even when he ran for governor of Texas. But I'm fed up with the way he has closed his eyes to illegal immigration.-Lstar43

Economic, I use to care more than I do now, as they don't give a damn what I have to say and they have more than enough information to see where they fell off the track. Letters to Congress are BS, when I've communicated in the past, it is always on apparent deaf ears. Pols understand one thing and one thing only, it is self-preservation and they only care about us to use us for our vote to that end. You know it and I know it, as does just about everyone else.

My message is simple, the GOP changes it tune on illegal immigration or it's over in November. And they don't need me telling them that in E-Mail that will just get deleted. They know damn well how the majority feels. I will not support the GOP when the elites rule and they don't care how the people feel.-by WK

I mean, at a certain point, you've got to ask why in the world you're ripping your guts out to stick up for an administration that won't even defend itself?

That sums up my feelings perfectly - well said. I'm so tired of the fight, I'm not even sure whether I'll vote come November.-by a_velasquez

Bush will keep on being Bush. The stubborness that conservatives chastise him for now was called strength in leadership during his first term. Mr. Hawkins is correct. The issues have changed, but the man hasn't.

Some conservatives have shown the initial symptoms of Bush Derangement Syndrome on spending and illegal immigration. The Left contracted the same from Bush's intransigence on the War on Terror and the War with Iraq.

I like having a President who understands the nature of our islamofascist enemies. I am pleased with the return of originalism to the judiciary. Most of all I am grateful for a strong job market and a lower tax burden.

In any case he will be gone in January 2009. The Senators elected this year will be around until at least 2013.

I have an honest question here. Has the political strategy of staying home to teach the party a lesson ever actually worked to the benefit of the abstainees? I hear many conservatives advocating such a strategy. It makes sense in the abstract, but it feels more like catharsis to me.

My gut tells me that politicians go where the money and the votes are -- where the power is. If the conservative base fails to show up the politicians will pander to the center/left remainder for support. Is it a coincidence that RINOs hail from states with very weak state parties?

Conservatives need to fight their way out of their malaise. I would like to see a more conservative Congress but staying home won't make it happen.

Elections matter in ways we don't often contemplate. The young assemblymen who wins a close election this year may be the conservative dynamo that unseats a RINO Senator.-by shadowtax2

Most of it I think is just conservatives getting tired of the fight and beginning to stumble and stagger beneath the crushing weight of endless moonbat comments, unchanging lies, and legacy media propoganda.-by Christopher_Taylor

I am called about five times a week to contribute to the Republicans. Each time I lecture the caller on why I will not give them a dime right now. The only way to get the message across is via money--contributions drying up. Yes, illegals and spending are front and center now, and GWB has not caught on.-by Manning3

This way to the consitution party.

http://www.constitutionparty.com/-by Sic_Semper_Tyrannis

My vote is hanging in the balance, If we dont see significant reform before November I will vote third party.-by KyleN

I just think all this talk about not voting for the GOP on this single issue is pure silliness. Huck

And that's where you're missing the point, Huck. It's not a single issue. It's a lot of issues built up to the point where some of us aren't going to take it anymore. Immigration just happens to be the final straw for some people. What good does it do to vote for the GOP if they're not going to support the principles of the people who put them into office?

I know I'm not the only conservative with this 'problem' but I can be very stubborn once my mind is made up. I don't know if it's part of the overall makeup of conservatives, but when I say I'm going to do something, that's what I'm going to do. And if the GOP - after all the crap they've put out in the five+ years they've been running the place - bends me over on immigration, you can damn well be sure I'm not voting for them in November. If it means Speaker Pelosi, so be it.

That's not bluster. That's called getting fed up with so-called conservatives in DC, and putting actions behind words. Liberals ought to try it sometime.-by JimG

Not only should Congress demand that the Border Patrol stop working with the Mexican government to circumvent our laws, they should launch an investigation in order to find out who in the Bush Administration is responsible for this unconscionable outrage.

Whose responsible? I believe the man at the top is responsible.

As each day passes, I grow more dissatisfied with this administration. I just wish we had a viable alternative.-by BIG

I just wrote the GOP and the White House and I feel somewhat better. I wish that I could call them from my cube at work and unload on them with a verbal tirade.

My email told them that they have lost me, a 2 time GOP voter (I am only 28), for good unless they fix the party.-by DJH

Since the buck clearly doesn't stop with Bush, where exactly does it stop these days?

BIG -

We do have a viable alternative to voting for slow death by the modern GOP... Refuse to vote for any of them in 2006, and see how fast they start to police their own.

Mediumhead -

President Bush already should have faced impeachment for signing the blatently Unconstitutional McCain-Feingold campaign finance "reform". Failure to protect our borders is just the icing on the cake. By comparison, I'm starting to believe that Bill Clinton's very real crime of perjury was less deserving of impeachment than these derelictions of duty by Bush.

I'm starting to feel very happy with my decision to not vote GOP this November (at the Federal level, anyhow). F--- Bush, and f--- the GOP in general. I'm sick of being blindsided by the GOP - at least with the Democrats we always know a screwing is right around the corner, and consequently have enough time to grab a little Vaseline.-by Roglewis

JH

"For all we know, a terrorist carrying a suitcase nuke may have been allowed to walk into our country because our own government doesn't want the Minutemen to interfere with the free flow of illegal aliens into this country."

I have been saying this for a year! It is nothing short of the definition of treason. If Bush's border policy doesn't give "aid and comfort" to the enemy, I don't know what does. I would have no problem with Bush, or any other open border idiot, being charged with treason, convicted, and hung. None at all.

We should consider ourselves lucky if only one terrorist has crossed the border in the last 3 years. My guess it's closer to 50 or 100. But who realy knows?

I am completely lost as to how this moron has not at least been removed from office, let alone charged with crimes against his own country.-by msplitt

When the neocons/open borders crowd allies themselves with a foreign power to aid and abet what amounts to a hostile invasion of the nation, it's time to stop talking about sending messages and time to start punishing the guilty.

When you add it all up, there's almost nothing that George II has come through on for conservatives with the single exception of the court appointments, and he had to be dragged kicking and screaming to come through with that single admittedly important deliverable.

For what it's worth, there's no shame in being lied to and admitting you once supported these scoundrels, but this does get more difficult to say every time it happens.

We have as good of an opportunity right now to clean house, and it's much better to do it now than in 08 when the stakes will be so much higher. If we wind up losing congress for a couple of years but are able to lose the right congressrats in the process, I'm ready to call this a good trade.

Remember, it took four years of Jimmy Carter to get Ronald Reagan elected.-by BubbaGump

Looks as if George W. Bush is working overtime to guarantee we get Speaker Pelosi in 2006.

It's time for conservatives to push for his impeachment.-by Cartman

Maybe the moonbats are right and Bush should in fact be impeached. I can't imagine President Cheney putting up with bullsh*it like this.-by MediumHeadBoy

After seeing some of this, it is INCREDIBLY hard to say, without a sense of remorse, that I supported President Bush at one time or another.-by Vaak

I've voted Republican ever since Jimmy Carter. I thing ultimately this is because George Bush is failing our nation. He should be impeached because of this obvious circumvention of the law. I don't care how well he has done on the war on terror.-by RAA

I consider this sort of rhetoric, especially the last parts, to be largely irresponsible and ludicrous - and at least some are likely not conservatives - but it does give a sampling of how angry and frustrated the people who got the GOP and President Bush into power are feeling lately. It's a voice that the Republican Party should heed.